2 replies to this topic

[Evanthomas89]

Hey everybody! I'm new here and hoping to catch my first queen this year. I've been observing the ants in my yard where I live (Howell, NJ and I moved here about a month and a half ago) I took a video of the ants in my yard hoping somebody could help me ID them. They're in a very sunny location, I can't get too close of a zoom on them because I only use my iPhone to record but at least I was able to record in slow motion so that may help you see better. I couldn't figure out how to embed the video so it plays here but I'll post the link to the video of them on my youtube. 

 

https://youtu.be/PFuSkyrgaU4
 

[Loops117]

Hey buddy, welcome to the hobby. Those look like Lasius neoniger, but i could be wrong.

One thing i've learned is that you'll more then likely find queens from colonies that arnt in your backyard. Catching a mature queen can be very tricky for any experience level of anter, especially with species that reside under ground. I would advise searching for an arboreal species (living in rotted wood, under bark and loose wood) if you don't want to wait for a nuptial flight.

 

Good Luck

[Evanthomas89]

Thank you! I'll keep a look out for nuptial flights. I'm not a big fan of taking an already established colony unless I stumble across one and can identify a queen. I'm very patient and have plenty of inverts to keep me occupied in the meantime.